The South Plains Food Bank is putting West Texas locals’ giving spirit to the test by upping its U Can Share Food Drive campaign goal to the highest it’s ever been.

The SPFB 33rd annual food drive is in full swing, kicking off Monday with its 350,000 pounds of food and $150,000 goal.

“This is the largest goal we’ve ever given ourselves,” Danielle Robertson, SPFB communications and digital marketing manager, said. “We were kind of excited about it and nervous about it at the same time.”

Another suitor for the San Antonio Missions is taking big steps to fund a new stadium, but Amarillo Mayor Paul Harpole says he is “still enthusiastic” about the city’s chances to attract a Major League Baseball-affiliated minor league team.

Earlier this week, the Wichita City Council approved the expansion of a sales tax district in hopes of raising enough revenue for a new stadium with the goal of enticing a MLB-affiliated farm team to relocate there.

With a new stadium, Wichita would be a potential location for a Texas League team, possibly the Missions.

Jaxson Viermann sat in a computer lab at Canyon High School and focused on guiding the angry bird to the naughty pig.

“What is he doing? He’s behind the pig,” the 10-year-old elementary schooler said.

“He’s facing the wrong direction, kiddo,” said Steve Raymond, a sophomore at Canyon High. Viermann rearranged some blocks of text shown on his computer screen, clicked a button and watched as the computer processed his instructions to navigate a small image of a bird toward its target, a green pig.

A 29-year-old former youth center employee faces 25 years to life in prison after jurors in the 364th District Court found him guilty Thursday of abusing children in the summer of 2014.

Charles Chavez’s punishment will be determined by Judge William Eichman, who dismissed the jurors after they returned their verdict finding Chavez guilty as charged of continuous sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.

But the dean of the Texas Tech College of Media and Communication has honed his craft into getting movers and shakers to reveal more about themselves by focusing on a seemingly innocuous subject — music.

The Lubbock Independent School District Board of Trustees approved several new courses for high school students, including advanced floral design at the Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center, Advanced Placement seminar classes at Lubbock High and Coronado High, and human body systems at Monterey High.

The Texas Education Agency approves of innovative courses that districts can offer for state credit pending approval by the local board of trustees.

The Texas Panhandle is no stranger to space travel, with a trio from the region who personally saw the stars: Astronauts Rick Husband of Amarillo, Alan Bean of Wheeler, and Edgar Mitchell of Hereford.

But astronaut John Glenn, who died Thursday at the age of 95, also had brief ties to the area — but not for his space travels.

Glenn, who at the time was a senator representing Ohio, visited Amarillo for a weekend in January 1984 while he was on the campaign trail during an attempt to win the Democratic nomination for President.

Beth Duke, Center City’s executive director, said she’s sad they’re not going to be able to reschedule the annual Electric Light Parade that was cancelled Dec. 2 after weather forecasters called for rain and snow.

“They had predicted it would start raining at about 3 o’clock and then it would turn to snow,” Duke said. They consulted the city’s Office of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service before making the difficult choice.

SEMINOLE — Hess Corp. will donate 1,500 of its 2016 line of toy trucks and dragsters to area low-income children.

Hess is partnering with Toys for Tots to distribute the toys. The trucks feature LED lights, ramps and realistic sounds.

“The Hess Toy Truck has been a holiday tradition since 1964,” said Mark Hamilton, wells and plant operations manager for Hess in Seminole, in a news release. “We’re pleased to partner with Toys for Tots to help brighten the holiday season for families in need.”

Two possible Amarillo mayoral candidates have tipped their hands while some of the city’s more conventional candidates are keeping their cards covered.

Amarillo attorney Ginger Nelson has appointed a campaign treasurer for her potential run for mayor and Councilman Elisha Demerson said he’s also considering a run for Amarillo’s top elected position. Both candidates say they’ve received strong encouragement from the community to run.

Xcel Energy has agreed with Texas customer groups to increase its utility rates by 4 percent, or $3.97 per month for a typical 1,000-kilowatt-hour residential bill, beginning Saturday.

The deal, which was announced Wednesday, was reached by Xcel, the Public Utility Commission of Texas Staff, industry groups and an alliance of 80 Texas towns served by the power company. It will increase annual revenues to support nearly $1 billion in capital improvements, Xcel said, while recognizing the impact of reductions in wholesale sales in 2015.